Weekend Experiences: parents, mistakes & happiness

Hi there everyone! Some of this week’s topics grubbed my attention:

“What do you believe you needed but didn’t get from your parents and how has that affected your life? Use your own photos.”

I was lucky to be raised by two parents who loved their kids very much and thus overreacted in their giving. They did their best in giving us unconditional love and they tried to offer us the best education one could wish for. This I think is very important in order to create a rounded-out personality.

The thing I missed was that they didn’t enhance my self-esteem so much. Due to their insecurity, due to their being raised in difficult environments and due to lack of thorough kids’ upbringing analysis (which takes place a lot today), they didn’t give much thinking to it. I myself was an insecure child, the first of three daughters. My character was that of an insecure person, just like my mother’s. My sisters are quite the opposite.

My mother (or my father) didn’t make the effort to instill self-confidence to me which I needed so. They didn’t know that they should do this I suppose. My mother was insecure, my father was rather bossy and working all day. Therefore, the upbringing was mostly my mother’s effort and instead of narrowing down this tendency I had, she underpinned my permanent insecurity with hers.

I think that people post the age of 18 are responsible for themselves and for their acts. I don’t agree with theories of blaming others and especially parents – once someone is mature he is responsible for himself and whenever deals with an issue, he must resolve it on his own. And that is what I have been trying to do all my life. Of course, it would have been easier if self-estimation was something that was there in my upbringing. But it wasn’t. On the other hand, I see new parents now bringing up their children with the principle of over self-estimation and I quite disagree. I think that they are delivering selfish children unable to listen to other people. I am not a parent myself so perhaps I am wrong. What do you think?

The above problem, combined with my over-sensitive and anxious personality have driven all my life. They have affected the way people perceive me, the way colleagues see me, the way friends and boyfriends react towards me. Also, these characteristics have largely affected my health, thus trying to fight diseases all my life, especially in the latest years. Could I have done something differently? Perhaps. I think life is a constant effort to improve ourselves and help others.

“What's your top three health tips for living a generally healthy and happy life after 40 years of age? Use your own photos.”

I think that happiness is our decision. So, I’d say that in order to be happy we have to decide first of all that we want to, before general or everyday circumstances affect our life and well-being.

Secondly, I think that a person who is in touch with nature is happy. I think that a person working outdoors and near nature, is happier and healthier than the one working indoors in front of a screen.

Thirdly, the ancient Greeks said: «a healthy mind in a healthy body”. If you don’t take care of your body your mind will hurt too. Our body is our mind and soul’s temple and we must cherish it. Post the age of 40, taking care of our body becomes an essential need.

If I may, I would like to add another happiness factor which I think is essential for our wellbeing: being with friends who love us and whom we love back. I don’t want this to sound as a cliché but honestly hanging around people with whom we have a loving relationship, who make us lough and have fun is one of the most important constituents to happiness and wellbeing.

That’ s all for now dear hivers! Take care!